Another "note to self" that I often find on scraps of paper when I don't have time to post to the blog at that particular moment...

6/9/2006 - peanups, flamingo (flamenco), potty - 5 (6?) times, poop - in big potty, my bed / my house, ooooo, that's pretty

Translated -- Judah was calling peanuts "peanups" and flamingoes "flamencos", we were toward the end of potty training and he was doing a super job. He was establishing his territory with "this is my house, this is my bed, this is my mommy & daddy, these are my toys, etc" and everything he picked up caused him to exclaim, "ooooo, that's pretty!".

I think my favorite phrase as he was learning to discuss his bodily functions was, "Poo Poot" or "I Poo Poot!"

I was cleaning up some old files on my laptop and came across this little blog note:

1/30/2004 - Judah is crawling (backward), trying to stand, screams at the top of his lungs just to hear his own voice, loves looking at himself in mirrors, doesn’t like naps anymore, likes banging on things and eating pureed bananas.

That really took me way back considering that Judah is now making his own social engagements. He rode home with a classmate yesterday to play at his house and has informed me that he asked another classmate to come over to play on Tuesday.

We are gearing up for the holiday season. Tonight, we will go downtown to see the lighting of the Neiman-Marcus Christmas Tree and also the lighting of the city tree. There will be street vendors (hot cocoa! hot apple cider!), horse-driven carriages and live entertainment (Trout Fishing in America, eh). Should be a great time and a tradition we have decided to repeat every year. I am putting up our own trees (we do two) this weekend -- never have done this before Thanksgiving, but I just **feel** like doing it and as somebody in Highland Park has already beat me to the punch, I think it's OK for me to break a few rules.

My mom was in the hospital earlier this week in N.C. for vertigo. Pretty scary as they had to run many diagnostic tests to rule out neurological or other nefarious causes. She followed up with her ENT and turns out she has an inner ear infection. She's on the mend and I can sleep at night again. 1,000 miles distance feels like a million when your mama is sick!

How's this for organization? A colleague officially finished her Christmas shopping yesterday and brought the loot for faraway relatives to the office today, all wrapped and ready for shipping. Gosh, I'm so far behind. I'll probably be shopping on 24 December.

Judah has been quite dramatic this past week. He dropped a quarter on the floor of the car and exclaimed (think Scarlett O'Hara), "I'll never see that quarter again!" or when I drove the carpool yesterday..."Where is my father? I'll never see him again!" or when I washed off his spider tattoo from his hand b/c of the no-tattoo rule at school, "I'll never have that spider tattoo again!" He also makes dramatic statements when he wants to get out of doing something. That's usually not a big deal until...

At the YMCA yesterday, I had to change out of my jeans into shorts to exercise. He was in the ladies dressing room with me and one lady was at the sink washing her hands. I asked Judah to come into the dressing room with me while I changed into my shorts and he exclaimed, "I can't! I'm afraid of you!" (it's Halloween season and he's been maximizing his usage of things to be afraid of this month, including a plate of roasted chicken because he didn't want to eat it.) But, I swear, that lady nearly broke her neck whipping her head around to stare at us and I thought how bad that must sound to someone who doesn't know my son's habit of hyperbole. I mean, two seconds later we were chatting about cupcakes that he had at school, but I think she had left by then (probably to call CPS!)

Judah's extended day teacher brought him out to carpool a couple weeks ago to tell us he is not minding and he's talking during rest time. We have been working with him on making good choices and he told me that these past couple days he has been quiet and following the rules. He's the youngest (or at least one of) in his class, so I think he's testing boundaries that the older kids tested before school started. I hope he continues to mind his teachers -- I sure don't want him to be the disruptive kid in class, but at the same time, it's hard for me to see his free spirit get squelched due to social norms.

This past weekend, Judah was extremely wiggly when I was trying to get him to sit still long enough for me to put his shoes and socks on. Here was our conversation:

Me: Judah, my goodness, you've got ants in your pants today.
Judah: Get them out! It hurts!
Me: Oh! No, son, "ants in your pants" is not literal. It is another way to say that your body is very wiggly and you aren't being still.
Judah: Take the ants out!
Me: Hmmm...maybe we should pull down your pants to see if they are still there. Maybe they have left now.
Judah: OK!
Me (pulling pants down): Well, it looks like they have gone back to their anthill because they aren't in your pants anymore.

So, I picked Judah up from school today at 3:00 o'clock and as soon as he was buckled he informed me that "Mrs. Marks told me lots of things today." I asked him what she told him. He replied, "She told me there are NOT ants in my pants."

I need to remember that three year old boys don't understand idioms.

I have just gotten the required summer reading list for Judah’s school teachers and a couple books caught my attention.

o Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

o Einstein Never Used Flash Cards : How Our Children Really Learn -- And Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Diane Eyer, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff

I am reading the first book (Last Child in the Woods) now. Though it’s definitely not in the “summer reading/beach book” category, it is holding my interest and making me feel guilty as hell for not taking Judah outside more often. It is all about how my generation is the last to spend time outdoors (think about that for a minute!!!). Kids in college today grew up in the MTV/videogame generation and as one kid in the book put it (this is sad), “I like to play indoors because that’s where all the electrical outlets are.”

I had a bit of a come to Jesus with myself over the fact that I am terrified of Judah ever going to play in the woods alone (not that I know where the woods are in my city). The mental picture I have of him in the woods is some pervie snatching him up never to be seen again, rather than him climbing trees and catching toads. I thought back to my own childhood and how my friends and I mucked about in the woods down by the Cape Fear River until nightfall all summer long where with nothing more then hedge clippers to clear the path in front of us, where we encountered everything from waterfalls to water moccasins. I spent so much time at the ocean, too. My childhood was very idyllic and most of my really wonderful memories were always outside on bicycles, in the woods, painting with mashed up tree berries, building forts and swinging from “tarzan vines”.

Now, it’s not like we don’t go hiking and take Judah to parks, because we do, but I think even then, we coddle him too much and worry that he might step in a patch of poison ivy or get chiggers, so we’re always like, “Oooo, Judah, be careful walking there!” etc…so, it really got me thinking about raising kids today in an urban environment where trees were planned by landscapers and what are the ramifications of how they will feel about nature. If I want Judah to be environmentally conscious at an action level and not just an intellectual awareness level, how can he become more experienced when he knows more about the natural world through Wild Kingdom on the Discovery Channel rather than having experienced nature as part of his every day life?

Another motivation to read this book came from my friend taking her son to her mom’s house in Arkansas. Her mom is a scientist with Greenpeace and lives “off the grid”. They spent a solid month walking in the woods, discovering nature together, with no TV, no radio, just in the middle of the woods, hearing birds and crickets and frogs. They saw frogs mating and then watched as the eggs became tadpoles. They brought a bunch of tadpoles home and are raising frogs in a little terrarium on the back porch…feeding them fruit flies and watching the tadpoles’ tails disappear as they grow. Very cool Biology 101 for a three year old.

I probably read too many of these kinds of books and should just go pick up the Kite Runner and enjoy my summer.

Potty Potty, Part Trois (l'acte final)

Armed with a potty chart and a super pack of stickers, we tackled potty training once more. Going cold turkey ended up being the best way to get things going. Judah had been using the potty at daycare but would refuse at home and in our efforts to not force him into it before he was ready, we obliged. But, the fact that school will start soon and he must be potty-ready to attend, we had to speed things up enough to get him to at least practice.

Of course, the true test is going poop in a public restroom. Filing this under "you know you're a mom when..." I had to squat in front of the toilet facing him, with his arms around my neck and feet on my knees for traction while I held him up by his armpits over the public potty. I'm sure the conversation as overheard by the woman in the stall next door was pretty graphic, but I was so focused on him not feeling like he was going to fall in and swim to the ocean that I just went with it and coached him all the way through. Gosh, I love that kid!

I dove into the CD closet today to digitize some of our 2,000+ CDs and am listening to Depeche Mode's The Singles 86>98 and drinking a Shiner. While Judah takes a nap, Micheal & I cleaned our downstairs office. I mopped the floor with too much bleach in the water and now my eyes are cloudy and I think I may have burned out all of my nose hairs. Happy Memorial Day!

We have been very low-key all weekend, spending Saturday hiking again where we encountered some geocachers who asked if they could explore the park bench where we were sitting, eating some potato chips and taking in the scenic beauty of Texas wildflowers and butterflies. I had never heard of geocaching before, but now that I looked it up, I totally want to do this sometime. It sounds like a lot of fun and Judah loves to look for hidden treasure.

Yesterday, we went to White Rock Lake and some Korean Baptists had parked themselves right under a shady tree beside the playground. They had a boom box and some song sheets and were singing along to really annoying white people gospel songs. One lady was doing this offbeat whirling dervish and singing loudly with a throat warble. It was such high entertainment that we sat on a stone wall nearby to observe. One thing I have never understood is why people put their hands up in the air, palms up when they're full of the spirit. Micheal said it's so they can be closer to the Lord. I just don't put my religion out there in such a public way...never have. I'm very supportive of freedom of expression, so I wasn't overtly annoyed other than the fact that for me, gospel is more along the lines of Mahalia Jackson and Kirk Franklin. I was pretty happy once they wrapped it up and started the BBQ portion of their picnic.

I've been knitting a little here and there this weekend and am somewhat hopeful that I'll finish my pink kid mohair poncho by 2010. It is finally 25" long, so only 30" to go. Ha!

Yesterday when I picked Judah up from school, I parked right by a Chevy Tahoe which had the motor running. As soon as I got out, I noticed that the driver was revving the engine while it was in park. It was then that I saw that there were two little boys, around 7 years old, and a baby in the car and no adult was in sight. It was in the 90s outside. When Judah's teacher greeted me at the door, I asked her if she knew where the parents were and she went to the car to try to handle the situation. It took me about five minutes to get my son's gear and when I went back out, the kids were still sitting in the car, revving the engine. Still no parents. The teacher had gone inside for a minute (I suppose to find the parents). When she came back out, and as I was putting Judah in my car, I saw the little boy pulling on the gear shift to go in reverse. We finally got them to open up the door (they'd refused the first time) and the teacher pulled all three of them out and took them inside.

I called the director of the school (my sister-in-law's mother) and told her what happened. She said she was aware of it, that it was not parental neglect, and that the mother had been trapped on the playground alone when the door locked behind her. She had to scale a fence to get back out and was hysterically crying.

I'm still confused about this sequence of events, such as how the kids got the keys, how they got in the car before she did, etc. Maybe she has more than 3 kids and was looking for her 4th or 5th? I have no idea. It seems incredibly irresponsible, even if unintended. I was positive that at any second, those kids were going to kick the Tahoe into gear and mow down all the pedestrians that cross the street there.

I'm sure she freaked right on out when she finally scaled the fence, got to her Tahoe, only to find her three children were no longer sitting in it.

There is no way in hell I would leave Judah alone in a car, with or without keys. I know he would drive away or someone would snatch him. Not to mention it's Texas. It's May. It's one block from an interstate highway. The whole situation had me feeling anxious for hours afterward.

Mother's Day 2006

Yeah, I'm a sucker. Wowie withdrawal lasted about two more hours after I posted here and then I caved. There's only so much crying and pleading that I can take when I'm simultaneously caring for a sick child who is demanding I produce the sacred wowie and read a white paper and four case studies before posting opinions on our intranet BBS to a rather large group of senior managers and colleagues.

Queen for a Day, I requested that we pack up our little family and head out to Cedar Ridge Preserve for a morning of leisurely hiking. We chose a moderate trail, hoping to get to Fossil Valley, but Judah got hungry about a half mile in, so we headed back for a picnic lunch of sandwiches, fresh fruit and veggie chips. It was a really nice way to spend time with my two men.

I was also anxious to get Judah out of the house. He had strep all last week, after already being home with me the prior week for what I thought was a simple sinusitis (little did I know a big, bad bug was lurking). While I was able to make my escape out of the house on Friday with a business trip to Tulsa, he was just about completely fed up with the situation of being trapped indoors. Micheal took him to Union Station to see trains and to play at a large fountain where he chased pigeons. He was starting to be very grumpy by Thursday...everything was "NO!" and he was put in time-out at least five times within a few days for dumping every single toy out and spreading it all over the living room, then refusing to clean up afterward or pitching violent fits where he hit me or pushed me when he didn't want to eat or sleep. Yesterday, he had a meltdown at the grocery store because he couldn't sit in the main basket part of the cart. This lasted at least six aisles and only when I finally tickled him to death did he straighten up. At one point, I told him, "Judah, I love you even when you're not nice to me." He replied, "Don't say me that!"

Big news at our house -- Micheal won a black 60GB video iPod at his office. I have loaded up nearly 1800 songs and every episode of my favorite podcast Tiki Bar TV. This show is hilarious! Highly recommended for people with a sense of humor.

Wowie Withdrawal, Day One

It's time. Judah has to ditch the "wowies". He is so severely addicted that I already know that we'll have to bust open a bottle of tequila just to sustain ourselves through the next few days (weeks? months?) of his imploring us to give him his wowie back. I told him that if he can go the whole day today without one, that we will go shop tonight to buy a new toy. I can't bribe him on a daily basis, so I really need to figure out something else to motivate him. This is going to be rough -- he can be very demanding and I'm not good with constant begging just because after the 100th time of asking, I'm about to come unglued and just want silence.

Judah's 3rd birthday was a blast. Mom and Kitty flew in on Thursday. We shopped, dined, played and got ready for the big party on Sunday. Fifteen kids, pizza, cake, balloons, gymnasium filled with balls, bubbles, bounce raft and balance beam. Lots of music, running around and laughter. A three-year old's slice of heaven.

The best part was when he opened gifts and the room was filled with all the things that he loves to play with -- art supplies, dinosaurs, Tonka trucks, Lincoln Logs and trains to name a few. He loves the guitar from his Aunt Kitty. Check out the Iggy Pop "no pants" punk rock swagger. He's a natural.

breathless

breathless
Originally uploaded by Farl.

I came across this photo on Flickr. It speaks a thousand words of why I love children so much. Their ability to find joy in the simplest things never ceases to amaze me.

I woke up at 4am after getting pushed to the edge of the bed numerous times by Judah, who was spread-eagled between Micheal and me. He is now officially too big to co-sleep, so this morning we had a chat about him needing to sleep in his own bed from now on.

I feel like such a tyrannical mom this week. Yesterday at the grocery store, Judah asked for a bottle of Dasani water. I gave it to him and told him to hold on to it with both hands. Since we got home from our trip, he has been going through a "spit" and "spill" stage, fascinated with the physics behind both. We had one of those shopping carts with the little Flinstone-mobile attachment and he got back in happily sipping his Dasani. I started unloading the cart when all of a sudden, I heard, "Uh oh! Mommy, Daddy, I spilled! I made a mess!" Micheal saw the whole thing and said he had deliberately turned the bottle upside down. In one of those frazzled mother moments, being embarrassed with people looking at the big puddle in the checkout lane and Judah now trying to climb out and on top of a nearby rail to swing like a monkey in sock feet because he tossed his shoes into the bottom of the Flinstone car, I hoped the earth would swallow me up. Once I retrieved the shoes and picked him up, he thought it would be super fun to pull big chunks of my hair as hard as he could. I immediately told him he was in "time out", took him to the car and moved all toys and his wowie away from his reach telling him, "No toys, no wowie because you're in time out. You cannot turn your drink upside down in the store like that because now some nice person has to clean up *your* mess." I don't think he cared about the mess part at all, but was distressed over the fact that I cut off access to his toys and pacifier. All the way home he repeated in the backseat between sobs, "No toys, no wowie? Boo hoo hoo. Whaaaa!"

So, this morning at breakfast, he spent a good five minutes spitting yogurt into his glass of milk.

I must remember to be a patient and consistent mommy and teach my otherwise extremely civilized child that it is really gross to spit and really unkind to deliberately spill things in the grocery store.

I honestly think he's mad at us for leaving him for 10 days and is acting out for that reason alone. He knows he's doing something he's not supposed to do, because he gives me that sly sidelong look when I call him on it.

In all the excitement of the big Africa trip, I forgot to post about Judah's acceptance into private school. He got accepted at the #1 school of our choice. He was also accepted at another school, but just for their three day program and waitlisted at the "hard as heck to get into" school. The fourth school still hasn't sent letters out, and we had to reply to #1 by the 24th. We turned in our contract and paid the tuition deposit and new student fee, so he is now bonafide! We are already picking out some fun summer classes that he can take there to transition in. One is butterflies & bugs...perfect for our little zoology lover.

I am home from Cape Town. I worked harder than I ever have in my life. We had a lean group managing the event and pulled 13+ hour days. I did a little of everything needed since the classes I was managing didn't take place until the latter part of the week. The first day I was an "Oscar Girl", presenting awards to people on stage in front of 1,000 people. The whole time, my mother's voice was in my head saying "shoulders back, stand up straight" as I have a tendency to slouch. Another day, I was a microphone runner in an auditorium, so I was up and down stairs for about 6 hours straight. I did squeeze in fun evenings with my husband and his colleagues. The weather in Cape Town was 70s/50s with a fresh ocean breeze us as we sat poolside drinking mind-blowingly good South African wine.

Cape Town is famous for its cuisine, particularly its seafood. The first night I dined at On the Rocks in Blouberg, a surf and turf restaurant which had a spectacular view of Table Mountain and Robben Island at sunset. Another night we dined at one of Rachael Ray's favorite restaurants, Pigalle, an amazing seafood and Portuguese supper club with a band playing everything from jazz standards to Lionel Richie. It was one of the most memorable dining experiences that I've ever had in that the service was flawless, the food delicious (click here for their menu.) Their Malva Pudding was a religious experience and I cannot stop thinking of their venison (springbok) carpaccio. The langoustines and prawns we ate were larger than our plates.

A highlight of the conference was our guest speaker, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He told stories of Apartheid South Africa and the tests used to determine race, such as the "pencil test" where if a pencil was placed in someone's hair and fell out, they were classified as "white" and if it stuck, then they were considered "coloured" (mixed). He also told us of the "pin prick test" where someone would sneak up on you and stick you with a pin and the way you shrieked would determine your race. Children who had darker skin or frizzy hair could be classified in a different ethnic group than their white families, causing the families to be split apart.

My last two days were spent touring the city and Robben Island. I have photos on Flickr.

The very best part about being on a trip is coming home. My sweet little boy was always on my mind and I was so happy to see him again. It was great to be able to hang out with him again. One of the first things he asked me was, "Mommy, you came back? You came back to me from Africa?" Here he is in his "damn, it's hard to be a gangsta" pose wearing a pink and lavender party hat and blue cammos. I just love that kid to pieces.

Letter from Judah

While I'm in Africa, Judah is spending time at his grandparents' ranch (Suga Suga & Papa). I received the sweetest e-mail from him (thanks Suga). ;-)

Subject: My First Day

Hi Mommy-

I asked Suga to write to you because my hands are just too small and I can't spell very well.

Daddy & I met Suga on Sunday. I waved bye to Daddy and we left for the ranch.

On the way home I saw cows, horses, barns and tractors. I also saw some big trucks.

When we got to Suga's we drove to the house and we found the kittens at the barn. The big yellow cat is named Butter and he let me pet him. There are five others and their names are Mocha, Hubey, Harvey, Belle Star and Bonnie. Hubey let me hold him.

Missy Girl let me pet her too and she did not bark or jump on me.

We went in the house and carried my things in. Butter came with me and I played the piano for him while Suga put up my clothes in the cabinet.

I unpacked my toys and while I was playing Papa came home. Suga packed a picnic and we left in the white "ranch truck" with the trailer and four wheelers behind us.

We packed up the four wheelers and took off for the top of the hill. When we stopped Papa put down a blanket and we had a picnic. Boy was that fun. All of the flowers are starting to bloom and they are "beautiful". A breeze was blowing and we all lay down on the blanket and took a nap.

When I woke up we jumped on the four wheelers and went looking for animals. We found a bunny with a white tail and squirrel, a really big one, going through the trees. The deer and hogs were hiding. We rode all around and I started the four wheeler and helped to drive it with Suga. I had FUN! I liked it a lot and I told Suga that.

We stopped and loaded the four wheelers and when we looked up the moon was out even with the sun shining.

We went home and I helped feed the calf, horses, dogs and cats.

I ate supper and had a bath then it was bed time. I took my wowey and I don't remember much after that.

When I woke up Papa was going to work and after breakfast, I came to work.

I told everyone you are in Africa even though I don't know where it is exactly.

I am being really, really good but I miss you and Daddy a lot. I will try and write tomorrow but I don't know if I am coming to work at the shop or not.

I love you and Daddy.

But I am ranching and I have to take my nap now so I can check the cows this afternoon.

Have a good time and bring me something back.

Love you as big as the world.

Judah

To bring some focus to my hectic multi-project knitathon, I have joined up with the The 2006 Knitting Olympics. The mohair poncho is what I began during the opening ceremony of the Olympics, but have cast on the ivory socks for Mom, stripey socks for Granny and began a gauge swatch for my cousin's Jaywalkers. It's looking a little dicey - much like the snow in Turin slowed things down a bit, so does the mountain of sock yarn in my stash. Check out the pictures!

I love Sunday. We skipped church (again) this morning and I just cleared the breakfast dishes after making a yummy oven pancake that Judah helped me mix up. Lemon juice, confectioners sugar, butter and nutmeg mixed in to the batter -- delicious. This along with applewood smoked bacon and blood oranges made a perfect lazy Sunday meal.

It is COLD outside. 28F which is the reason for blowing off church. No way is it worth all the bundling up and subjecting myself to freezing weather. So, I'll just renew my spirit by the fire today, needles and yarn in hand.

I'm in manic knitting mode this week. My trip to Cape Town, South Africa is coming up in a few weeks, so to relieve some of the stress of such a complex trip, I'm all over the place in my projects. I'm making a pink mohair poncho (a lovely deep rose shade) with little bobbles that is found in the new Vogue Knitting On the Go book (the yarn and book gifts from my friend Morgan). Ivory wool/mohair socks for my Mom. Blue/ivory/grey/red socks for my Granny and just picked up some Trekking XXL sock yarn #104 (blues) for my cousin who is freezing way worse than us at college in Wisconsin. The pattern I am making for my cousin is the Jaywalker. Size 1 needles which are essentially the width of a toothpick.

We have been really good about eating at home for the past month - no dining out at all. We dined out last night with friends at a Brazilian restaurant where Judah will actually eat without pulling a "picky toddler" on me. He loves home-cooked Brazilian food, so I suppose I should learn to cook it. The restaurant was having a Carnaval party later that night, so was decorated with green, gold and purple throughout, making it quite festive.

I am happy that tomorrow is a holiday - my office celebrates Presidents' Day, so I'm hoping to read and knit and watch the paint peel. I'm reading "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova, an intriguing vampire story.

My kid is getting big for his britches these days.

I have been coming down with some bug for the past three days. Two nights ago, he wanted me to play with Lincoln Logs on the floor, which I absolutely did not feel like doing. I just wanted to lie on the sofa and not move a muscle. Here was our conversation:

Judah: Mommy, play with you?

Me: Judah, mommy is really sick. I need to rest. Can you play by yourself?

Judah: {{wraps me up in a bear hug and starts trying to lift me off the sofa}}. Mommy, come on! Play with me! Build castle now! Let’s go!

Me: Really, son, I am sick. I need to rest. You have to play by yourself right now. I’m sick!

Judah: {{pulls my legs and grunts like he’s lifting something heavy}} It’s too hard. Come on, Mommy! Play with you?

Me: {{throws head back in exasperation}}

Judah: {{grabs my face in both hands and pulls my head down to eye level}} Mommy, look at me. You NOT SICK. YOU NO REST. Play me on floor? You build, mommy? You build with me?

He has figured out how to ask the same question over and over and over and over and over until I cave.

Then, last night, at 11:45pm, he woke me up to ask if he could go downstairs to play. He refused to go back to sleep and so I ended up making a palette on his bedroom floor and said, "You can play in your room, but Mommy is going to sleep." He played until around 6am! He pulled every block, puzzle and tractor out of his toy box and thoroughly enjoyed waking me up once by handing me a book to read to him ("Mommy, read book?") and another time by moving the beads back and forth on an abacus that he had placed by my head ("Mommy, play with me?") and another time by putting a chair on my palette and constructing towers out of wooden blocks.

I woke this morning feeling like a mack truck had rolled over me a dozen times.

We have to get him back on schedule because he has a group evaluation tomorrow morning at the #1 school of our choice. If he blows it after all the stuff we've done (paid big application deposit, gotten letters of referral, toured the school, crashed a parents' night spaghetti supper, etc) I will be really bummed.

The new year has not proven to be especially kind to my household. My first day back at work, I got nabbed with a speeding ticket after driving above 40mph on a mile-long bridge where I was the only driver. Menace to society, I am. Then, this week, we had to put our almost 15-year old orange tabby down and it has left a gaping hole in my heart. She was my first "baby" and the pet I have owned longer than any other in my entire life. She has been our companion for most of our adult life, and with us for our entire relationship as a couple. So, this was a tough goodbye.

I'm working my ass off preparing for two global conferences - one in Los Angeles, one in Cape Town, both of which I am attending. Every January through March is "don't talk to me, I'm liable to freak out at any moment" season where I work. We moved to a new building, so on top of the normal conference prep, there was a lot of packing/unpacking to deal with.

We're having some challenges with Judah this week. Every day, he has been hysterical at school drop-off. I have asked him if he can use his words to tell me why he doesn't want to go, but he just says over and over, "I don't want to go to school" while tears pour down his face and his whole body shakes with sobs. He is also putting up roadblocks on potty training so we're going to back off for a while on that.

On the bright side, I'm nearly finished knitting my first pair of socks. They are dark gray, wool/mohair blend and full of toasty wonderfulness.